5 Big News Stories Overnight - Saturday, January 31, 2026

Iran: Rebuilding Nuclear Facility

Times of Israel reports:

As tensions soar over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the United States that may be a sign of Tehran trying to obscure efforts to salvage any materials remaining there.

The images from Planet Labs PBC show that roofs have been built over two damaged buildings at the Isfahan and Natanz facilities, the first major activity noticeable by satellite at any of the country’s stricken nuclear sites since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.

Those coverings block satellites from seeing what’s happening on the ground, which is the only way for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the sites right now, as Iran has prevented access.

U.S.: Seattle Seahawks for Sale?

ESPN reported on Friday that the Seahawks would be put up for sale after the Super Bowl.

The Seattle Times is reporting that the team claims the ESPN report is false.

The Times reports: 

The Seahawks will eventually be sold by Jody Allen, the current team chair who took over in that role when her brother, Paul Allen, died in 2018.

That has been known for a while and is not in dispute.

What is in question is whether the team will immediately be up for sale after the Super Bowl, as indicated in a report Friday afternoon by ESPN and later by The Wall Street Journal.

The ESPN report, headlined “Seahawks will go up for sale after Super Bowl LX” stated that “league and ownership sources familiar with the arrangement” said the team will go up for sale following Seattle’s game against the New England Patriots next Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and that “sale discussions have taken place at ownership and league levels for at least the past week.”

France: French Security Company Under Fire for Contract with ICE

France 24 reports:

A contract with American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has triggered a barrage of criticism of French IT services company Capgemini in the wake of killings and other incidents involving US border officials.

The company was still scrambling Thursday to explain the deal for a tool to identify and track foreigners on US soil, which it says was signed by an arm's-length subsidiary set up to bid on classified US government work, with limited oversight from HQ in France.

Nevertheless, "according to the information made known to the group, that contract awarded in December 2025 is not currently being fulfilled", Capgemini told AFP by email.

PHOTO: ICE, Flickr, promotional

Gaza: Israel Admits More than 70,000 Dead

The Guardian reports:

Israel’s military has accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate, marking a U-turn after years of official attacks on the data.

A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing.

It is the first time Israel has publicly estimated the toll from the war in Gaza. Previously the government and military had only provided figures for militants Israel claimed to have killed.

Gaza health authorities said the direct toll from Israeli attacks had exceeded 71,660 people, with at least 10,000 presumed buried in the rubble of bombed buildings.

Cuba: Denounced U.S. Attempt to Crush Economy

Al Jazeera reports:

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel has denounced what he called an attempt by his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, to “suffocate” the sanctions-hit country’s economy.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, the latest move in Washington’s campaign of pressure on Havana. The order alleged that the government of communist-run Cuba was an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.